Death, Dying, and Funerals of Central European Habsburgs in the Early Modern Period

Abstract The study offers a comparative view of the rituals associated with dying, death, and funerals of the Central European Habsburgs in the early modern period. The authors first attempt to place the topic within the historiographical framework of current research. They also pay attention to the heuristic basis on which the phenomenon can be studied. Further on in the text, they gradually reveal the course of the Habsburgs’ illnesses immediately preceding their deaths, the rituals associated with the different lengths of time the dying spent on their deathbeds, their deaths, autopsies, funerals, and subsequent mourning ceremonies, including the dissemination of information about the deaths of Central European Habsburgs to various parts of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Holy Roman Empire, and other European countries. The study concludes with a reflection on the representation of imperial majesty in the allegorical language of mourning ceremonies.